Howard Snaps Four Game Skid With 59-51 Win Over Long Island
By Julee' O'Neal, W. Basketball, Broadcast Journalism Major '13
BROOKLYN, NY – The Howard women's basketball team snapped its four game skid with a 59-51 win over Long Island on Dec. 1. The Lady Bison improve to 3-6 on the season, and will travel to Hampton, VA to take on Hampton Pirates on Dec. 4. The game is slated for 6 p.m.
"I think the team really bounced back well," said head coach Niki Geckeler. "The focus today was for our team to play like a team. They defended and made easy transition baskets, and the half court execution was key to our victory."
Saadia Doyle finished the game with 24 points and eight boards – shooting 8-13 from the field and a perfect 7-for-7 at the charity stripe. Thus far, Doyle has scored 20 points or more in five games.
Tamoria Holmes tallied nine points and five steals on the night. She currently leads the team in steals with two per-game. India Bradford also chipped in with nine points beyond a 3-for-6 mark from behind the arc. Cheyenne Curley-Payne finished with eight points and dished out five assists.
In the first half, Howard went back and forth with Long Island. Neither team held the lead for more than five minutes. The halftime score was knotted 27-27.
The Lady Bison came out the locker room with a three pointer from Adelle Walton. Howard outscored LIU 15-6 in the first nine-plus minutes of the second stint.
HU pushed the spread to as many as 13 points, 52-39, at the 4:28 mark. Howard did not relinquish its lead en route to the 59-51 victory.
As a team, the Lady Bison shot 84 percent from the free-throw line (11-for-13) and 40 percent from the field (21-for-52), while holding LIU to 34.5 percent (19-for-55).
The Lady Bison had 24 points in the paint compared to the Lady Blackbirds 22.
HU scored 19 points of LIU 23 turnovers. Also HU's bench outscored LIU's bench 24-11.
For the Blackbirds, Heidi Mothershead finished the game with a team-high 15 points, while Chelsi Johnson recorded 14 points. Ashley Palmer had a team-best 13 boards.
The Lady Bison are back in action at Hampton on Dec. 4 beginning at 6 p.m.
